James Franklin has batted like a lion in first-class cricket, but looks as timid as a mouse at the highest level © Getty Images

OPTION 1 Select James Franklin as a like-for-like straight swap.

Pros: He wants the job, telling his local paper: "I'm hoping [the selectors] think I'm the guy for that. I think I can do a job there for New Zealand. I've done it for years for Wellington, batting at No6 and bowling, so it's nothing different for me." At his best, Franklin would offer the sort of balance a fit Jacob Oram provided, with his cultured left-handed batting and left-arm swing variety with the ball. If you watched him in the nets and knew nothing of his test record, who would think that he was a world-class player rather than a fringe selection.

Cons: "At his best" is the operative statement. Hands up - outside those who regularly attend Wellington's first-class fixtures - anybody who has actually seen Franklin at his best? Over the past three seasons he has batted like a lion in first-class cricket, but looks as timid as a mouse at the highest level. In the field, he carries the appearance of somebody who does not really like bowling. The fact he took a significant drop in his central contract ranking this year indicates the selectors have lost patience in the wait for Franklin to realise his potential.

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